International projects and competitions

The overall goal of the project is to enable three countries - Georgia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine - to build the capacity of their higher education systems to integrate the discipline of Global Health (GP) and research into their academic programs. This will be achieved through: developing technical knowledge among partner universities on global health priority topics and GP research methods, building the capacity of their academic staff in pedagogical and methodological approaches to developing and implementing new curricula, jointly developing new global health courses and establishing and strengthening collaboration between HEIs and non-academic organizations in partner and program countries.

The project has 3 specific objectives:

1) Development of curricula and delivery of new accredited courses on priority topics related to global health: six new accredited training courses on the main topics of CP, priority for partner universities and national health agencies of Georgia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, will be jointly developed by thematic groups consisting of representatives from each of the partner universities and mentors from the Heidelberg University Institute for Global Health (HIGH). Training and mentoring will be provided to 3 teachers from each of the seven partner universities. This ensures that the designated representatives of the partner universities have the technical knowledge and pedagogical skills to effectively implement courses and accelerate the growth and improvement of new CP centres. The new courses will be accredited by partner universities and integrated into academic degree programs. CP content will also be broadcast through two events of the Regional CP Academy in EECA (Eastern Europe and Central Asia). Students enrolled in master's and doctoral programs of partner universities, as well as students enrolled in non-health academic programs (journalism, international relations, environmental studies, etc.) will also participate in the new GC courses.

2) Develop curricula and conduct new accredited courses on HC research methods in seven partner universities: three new accredited courses, priority for partner universities and national health agencies of Georgia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, will be developed jointly by an interagency working group. The group will consist of representatives from each partner institution and mentors from the University of Tromsø (UiT). For this, 2 teachers from each partner university will be provided with training and mentoring. Then the courses will be taught to students enrolled in master's and doctoral programs at partner universities.

3) Establishment of the Eastern Europe/Central Asia (EECA) Regional Academic Alliance for Global Health: this alliance will serve as an institutional mechanism for regional cooperation, knowledge sharing, education and research on priority issues related to CP; its establishment and operation will be supported by the University of Bergen (UiB) and the Tbilisi Institute for Global Health (TIOGH). All participating universities will become founding members of the Alliance. Membership will also be offered to other HEIs from the EECA region, including 13 HEIs that expressed interest in joining such an alliance at a workshop held in 2019. The National Public Health Agencies of Georgia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, as well as other EECA countries, will be invited to join the Alliance. The Alliance will organize annual meetings to provide a platform for discussion and exchange of experiences among members on expanding CP teaching and research in the EECA region.

Priority: in the long term, all partner universities recognize the need to develop a joint regional master's program in global health, which can be jointly offered by several EECA universities. Three participating countries from different geographical parts of the EECA region (Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, Central Asia) are well positioned to become a base for this. Thus, capacity building and partnerships will provide a fundamental basis on which effective cooperation will be possible after the completion of the project.

This project is funded with the support of the European Commission. The content of this page is the sole responsibility of the author and does not reflect the views of the European Commission. The Commission cannot be held responsible for the use of the information it contains.